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Being reared by a mother who was a wonderful cook, I rarely had the chance to do so, Mother's idea being for me to watch her do it. As most teenagers, I had little time for this inactive pursuit. Finally, Mother allowed me the honor of preparing a cake with her being the watcher. Since the cake to be baked was a pound cake, I thought this was a one-step procedure requiring little effort. How wrong I was! Mother had no mix master or electric appliance; the cook beat and beat and beat by hand. I had a much ...

Last July, I wrote about how disheartened I was that the Supreme Court of the United States refused, on a 5-4 partisan vote, to reconsider one of its worst decisions ever: Citizens United. The original 2010 ruling opened the door for "super" political action committees (Super PACs) to accept unlimited contributions and, in at least some cases, without full disclosure on where that money's coming from.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for Tree Care Operations for Pruning states "The purpose of utility pruning is to prevent the loss of service, comply with mandated clearance laws, prevent damage to equipment, avoid access impairment and uphold the intended usage of the utility space." When I worked for the S.C. Forestry Commission, I quoted this statement many times at community forums in places such as Elloree, Charleston, Walterboro and Beaufort. These events were always in response to a utility provider coming into town, unannounced, and "doing their thing." While the majority of cuts were technically correct, their ...

Although Danica Patrick's pole position will give her the brightest spotlight at next week's Daytona 500, other up-and-coming drivers will have the most to prove as the green flag drops on NASCAR's season.

One of my favorite events each year is the Adult Education graduation ceremony. It's a particularly special occasion for me because it celebrates the accomplishments of people for whom school didn't work out the first time. The genius of American education is that there is always another chance, another opportunity to take care of unfinished business. As we know, the same can't be said in most countries in the world.

I did not watch the Grammy Awards this year. Such affairs have lost their shine for me as I've matured and, especially when it comes to pop music, this former radio announcer quickly realizes he's lost touch with today's modern sounds.